Now I've Tasted Chocolate and I'm Never Going Back
by eClair23
Summary: The story of everyone's favorite checkerboard chick, Penny Lou Pingleton, after the final chord of "You Can't Stop the Beat".
1. Chapter 1

PENNY'S POV

"Penny Lou Pingleton, you _deliberately_ disobeyed me! I forbade you from ever seeing that _vile black boy_ ever again and what did you do? You saw him behind my back anyway!" My mother slapped me hard.

"But Mother-" I interjected half-heartedly, knowing that it would do no good.

"And for _that_, you are to stay here with no meals for a _week_!" she tied the last knot in the jump rope, securing me to my bed. Again. "You are never going to see that filthy _black_ boy again, do you hear me? You are no daughter of mine!" she laughed in my face while I fought to maintain my composure. "Gallavanting off with colored people, listening to _race_ music, dancing on _live television?!_...oh, where did I go wrong with you?" She continued to rant, but my thoughts drifted to the boy that I was completely in love with: Seaweed Stubbs, the boy my mother hated. The one she called filthy and vile. His face appeared in my thoughts, smiling warmly at me, and I didn't hear the rest of what my mother said. I only know that by the time she stormed out of my room, she had disowned me. She slammed and locked the door behind her.

As soon as she was out of earshot, fat, hot tears began to slide down my face. It had never been this bad before...

I stayed there, locked up and tied up in my own room, like a prisoner, with no food and no water, for two days.


	2. Chapter 2

A tap on my window woke me up with a start.

"Penny!"

I turned over sleepily and my heart skipped a beat when I saw his face in the window.

"Seaweed?" I whispered. "Oh, thank goodness!"

"Hold on," he mouthed.

I nodded as he picked the lock and squeezed through the window. Seaweed rushed over and looked me over, surveying the situation.

"How long have you been here?" his eyes stared into mine searchingly.

"Two days. I think," I mumbled, "With no food and no water..."

"Hold still, baby doll. I'm gonna get you out of here. Don't move."

I smiled at the familiar nickname. Finally, I felt my bonds loosen and I sighed in relief. I tried to push myself up to a sitting position, but quickly got frustrated because I was too weak to even lift myself. Seaweed saw my frustration and gently helped me sit, propping me up with pillows. I started to tear up and sniffled. Seaweed held me tight.

"Pack your bags, baby doll," he murmured quietly in my ear.

"Huh?"

"I'm getting you out of here. You can't stay here. Pack your bags."

I nodded numbly. "Okay."

Seaweed slung my backpack full of clothes and other random stuff I grabbed because of sentimental value over his shoulder. I grabbed the old, worn teddy bear off of my bed and held it close. Most people would have laughed because I grabbed a teddy bear. I _was_ eighteen, after all. Not Seaweed. He understood.

We snuck out the window quietly. As soon as I made it out of the window and onto the sidewalk, my vision went all spotty and I collapsed against Seaweed, who caught me just in time. The blood drained from my face as I heard Seaweed catch his breath. I must have been a lot worse off than I thought, to scare him that bad. He scooped me up and sprinted down the sidewalk, breathing hard.


	3. Chapter 3

Miss Maybelle answered the door to see Seaweed supporting me, looking out of breath and scared. I probably looked terrible, because she just stopped and stared.

Finally, she spoke. "Baby, it is one o'clock in the morning! Just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Well, I kinda snuck out to look for Penny, 'cuz I hadn't seen her in two days and I was getting kinda worried and-"

Seaweed's mother came to her senses and cut him off. "All right. Save the explanations for later. Come sit down, you two." She ushered us in, Seaweed half-carrying me.

He carefully set me down on the worn-out, beat-up thrift store couch in the living room. Miss Maybelle switched on a light and tried to cover up her grimace at the sight of my face, all tear-stained and red. I winced. That felt really bright compared to the dark prison I'd been locked in for two straight days. "All right, dearies. Tell me what's going on."

Seaweed took a deep breath and did his best to explain the situation, while I leaned on him for support. I remained silent.

"Mama, she can't go back. She's got no place to go."

Something snapped inside of me when he said that. Somehow, it made it feel real, and reality crashed down on me. I let out a sob and buried my face in his shoulder.

"Oh, yes she does!" she said indignantly, sending a glare Seaweed's way. "Penny, honey, you are more than welcome to the guest room for as long as you need." She smiled at me sympathetically.

I lifted my head and nodded gratefully.

Miss Maybelle did a double-take. "Penny, dear, you look awful. I'm calling a doctor. Seaweed, you keep an eye on her, please."

"I'd do that even if she wasn't half-starved, Mama!" Seaweed winked at me.

Seaweed held me close and stroked my hair as I sobbed into his shoulder, muttering things that made no sense and probably sounding like a dying whale.

"C'mere, baby doll. I've got you. You're safe. Look at me. I've got you," he murmured in my ear softly.

I looked up at him, my face tearstained. He wiped the tears out from under my eyes. "I'm here."

"Seaweed, why would you still want me? I mean, I'm just a bother, and my mother's psychotic, and I'm most definitely _not_ the most attractive girl on the planet, and-"

"Baby doll, I will always want you! You are never gonna be a bother and I don't care if I have to rescue you from your Mama every day. You are so worth it. And I don't ever want to hear you say you're not attractive again. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on, and I love you more than you can imagine. Always have, always will."

"I-I love you, too. Thank you."

A soft knock came on the door, which Seaweed promptly answered.

"Doctor MacIntosh."

"Penny Lou Pingleton," I said, shaking the kind, cheery African-American man's hand.

"Young man, you are so lucky I've got insomnia and that I was awake at this hour." He addressed Seaweed. The doctor gave me a quick once-over and declared that I was severely dehydrated and malnourished. He remarked that after a few of Miss Maybelle's meals and a good night's sleep, I'd be good as new. He grinned at Seaweed. "You take good care of her now, son."

"Don't worry, he will," I smiled.

The doctor shook Seaweed's hand and left.

Miss Maybelle came out of the kitchen bearing a tray with three steaming bowls of soup and three glasses of ice cold water. Seaweed and I gratefully accepted the hot chicken noodle soup and water, while his mother sat down with her bowl and glass.

"Thank you so much, Miss Maybelle. This is delicious," I whispered hoarsely. The hot soup tasted so good after two days of absolutely nothing.

I got up to hug her, but Seaweed pulled me back down.

"Rest, baby doll. Just sit down and relax." He put his strong arms around me and kissed my forehead. "You're freezing! Let me grab you a blanket."

"But I- Oh...okay," I murmured.

He handed me a big, fuzzy, and warm blanket, which I promptly cocooned myself into. I breathed in its scent. It smelled like the cologne he always wore. It was comforting and calming, so I kept taking deep breaths of it.

"Penny, dear, Lil' Inez and I made up the guest room for you. Seaweed, be a gentleman and take the lady's bags to her room for her." Miss Maybelle said indignantly.

I sat on the couch by myself for a moment, trying not to get in the way while Seaweed grabbed my stuff and deposited it in the guest room right down the hall and Miss Maybelle put Lil' Inez back to bed. _I can't believe they're going to all this trouble just for me,_ I thought. I felt guilty for waking them all up at one in the morning. I felt guilty for having a psychotic, abusive mother that I had to literally be rescued from every other week.

"All right, kids. Time for bed." Seaweed walked me down the hallway to the guest room and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"'Night, Penny. Sweet dreams!"

Naturally, I had nightmares. I mean, who wouldn't, after having your possibly psychotic, definitely abusive mother tie you down to your bed with no food or water for two days? It was only natural that I'd have nightmares. And pretty bad ones, at that.


	4. Chapter 4

"Penny!"

I awoke from my awful nightmare with a start. I was on his living room couch. Why was I there?

"Penny?"

"Don't touch me!" I pushed him away.

"Baby doll, it's me, Seaweed. You were dreaming."

I saw the hurt in his eyes and realized what I'd done. "Oh my goodness, Seaweed! I'm so sorry, I-"

He cut me off. "Hey, I get it, baby doll. Calm down. Breathe. You're safe now. I've got you."

I shivered as he snaked his arm around my waist and fiddled with a strand of my auburn hair, then softly touched the bruise on my cheek. I winced. I had really hoped I wouldn't have to explain the bruise.

"Did she do this to you?"

I nodded reluctantly, my vision becoming blurred by tears. I tried to blink the tears away, somewhat embarrassed. But he noticed. He always noticed.

"Hey, baby doll, you can cry if you want to. I'll stay up all night with you if you need me to. C'mere."

I snuggled into him, my face buried in his shirt, and let out a sob as he stroked my hair and rubbed my back soothingly. As I sobbed, he pulled me closer and whispered over and over again, "I'm here. I love you. I've got you. You're safe" until it fell into a sort of rhythm, which eventually lulled me back to sleep. As I drifted off, I felt him pull a blanket over me (the one that smelled like him), squeeze my hand one last time, and whisper, "I love you." No more nightmares that night.


	5. Chapter 5

"Penelope Louise Pingleton is officially placed into the foster care of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Turnblad," the judge pronounced, signifying the end of the "trial". Actually, it wasn't really a trial. I had finally managed to take my mother to court for abuse, with the help of the Turnblads. And we had won. Before I knew it, I had been enveloped in a family hug with the Turnblads, who I guess _were_ my new family.

"Thank you!" I whispered.

I couldn't believe it. I guess I was still in shock. I was free! I'd never be tied to my bed with a jump rope again. _And_ I could be with Seaweed without having to worry about my mother's punishments. I was _free!_ I finally extracted myself from the family hug and made my way over to Seaweed, who had been standing by politely, abstaining from the group hug.

"You did it, baby doll!" he embraced me excitedly.

"_We _did it," I corrected.

He pulled me into a tight hug. "You're safe now. No more jump ropes, no more bruises. I've got you. _We've_ got you."

"That's right, honey. You are always welcome in our home. Don't hesitate to holler if you need anything, dearie. Anything at all," Miss Maybelle declared.

I nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much for everything, Miss Maybelle."

"Is it okay if we go out for ice cream on the way home, Mama?"

"Of course it is, baby. I'm going to go tell Edna hello."

He nodded, then extended his hand to me. "Shall we go, Princess?"

I giggled and grabbed his hand. "Of course, kind sir."

He laughed.

As we crossed the street holding hands, a mob of flashily dressed stereotypical mean and pretty girls taunted us from the other side of the street.

"Where'd you get your dress, honey? It looks like my carpet!" the blonde one squealed with laughter.

I really thought I had heard it all. I thought that eventually the insults would stop coming, or at least stop hurting. But no, they didn't.

A brunette chimed in, "With a face like that, I'm surprised you even got a _black _boy to go out with you!" They giggled and pointed at me and Seaweed.

The only thing that made me madder than being personally insulted was hearing people insult Seaweed or his family. He squeezed my shoulder a little tighter. My fists clenched and I felt his clench too.

I breathed in deeply and counted to ten. "Hey, calm down. It's okay. I'm used to it," I said finally. I grimaced.

He looked at me sadly, looking concerned that this kind of stuff had happened before. I looked back, trying to communicate the fact that I didn't want to talk about it right then. He understood.

A young couple moved to the other side of the street when they saw us holding hands. They muttered under their breath. I could only imagine what they were saying.

"Why do people do that?" I asked Seaweed dejectedly.

"Oh, baby doll. You know why. People just can't accept the fact that vanilla and chocolate go so well together. They don't like mixing flavors. But they just don't know that chocolate and vanilla swirl is the best flavor." He kissed my forehead.

I liked his analogy. Vanilla and chocolate. I looked up into Seaweed's eyes and saw deep pain. I hoped that soon the world would see that it was all right to be different. After all, my best friends were different. I guess that's why we'd been shunned publicly by most people since the Miss Hairspray competition. What was so bad about dancing with African-American people? They were people too!

I pushed the negative thoughts out of my head and grinned mischievously.

"Race you to the ice cream parlor!"

"No fair, baby doll! You got a head start!"

Out of breath, we entered the ice cream shop and were immediately subjected to cruel looks and scornful stares. But we walked confidently up to the counter anyway. I was so happy to be with him that I couldn't care less what people thought about me right then.

"Two chocolate and vanilla swirl cones, please," I addressed the waitress politely, although she stared at us kind of funny, too.

We enjoyed our rapidly melting ice cream as we strolled leisurely to Tracy's house. We paused on the doorstep just long enough to exchange a kiss. He wished me good luck and we said our goodbyes.

"Bye, baby doll. See you around."

I took a deep breath as I stepped through the door and into my new home and grinned. It had been too long since home had been a good thing. Maybe a fresh start was just what I needed.


	6. Chapter 6

Two years later, I strolled into the fanciest restaurant in town, an Italian bistro. I was meeting Seaweed for dinner. I glanced around and didn't see him. I wasn't worried, though. He liked to be "fashionably late". He said it kept people on their toes. A few minutes passed, and he burst through the door, looking flustered, which _wasn't_ so typical. He took a moment to collect himself, then strode up to the waiter and said, "Seaweed Stubbs, reservation for two, please."

The waiter eyed us suspiciously, like most people did. They just didn't understand the fact that an interracial couple, although different, was just as good as an all-white couple. We held hands in quiet defiance of the stereotype. The waiter cleared his throat and nodded.

"Right this way."

Seaweed pulled out my chair and waited for me to sit before sitting himself. What a gentleman. We chatted lightheartedly over breadsticks and alfredo. Even though I didn't consider myself proper, I tried to sit up straight and sipped water politely between bites.

No one had mentioned this to me, but I had noticed it unconsciously. It was pretty obvious how much I had changed. I didn't even feel like the same person anymore. I mean, I was still Penny Lou Pingleton, but I was no longer the shy, socially hopeless klutz of a girl I had been. I was "hip" and sophisticated. Or at least I felt that was, and that was good enough for me! No longer did I dress like an eighty-something year old woman. Now I wore all the latest fashions, just like Tracy. My voice had turned mature, instead of being high-pitched and squeaky like it used to be. Before, I had always been the awkward, clumsy, nerdy, and unattractive one. But I'd finally realized that I _was _beautiful, no matter how many people told me otherwise. That was mostly due to Seaweed's constant assurance that I was beautiful and that I _was_ the prettiest, no matter how many times I denied it. Seaweed and Tracy had taught me how to dance, and Corny had even invited me to dance on the show a few times! For the past four years, I had felt more loved than I had ever even thought possible. Miss Maybelle had taken me under her wing and become the mother I had always wanted and needed. Little Inez saw me as an older sister and a close friend.

Seaweed took my hand across the table.

"Penny? Baby doll, you okay?" he sounded concerned.

"What? Oh, yes! I'm sorry. I was just thinking about how blessed I am. I've got a loving family and great friends...Oh, and that new forty-five you bought me the other day..."

"And, if you'll have me, you'll have a great and loving husband," he knelt down. "Will you marry me?"

I stood there, shocked. Tears sprung to my eyes as I nodded eagerly. "Of course! Yes! Yes, of course I will!"

Seaweed slipped the sparkling ring onto my shaking hand as I held my breath.

"Sorry it's not much of a ring. It was the prettiest one I could afford and-"

I cut him off. "It's absolutely gorgeous and I wouldn't want any other ring. The most important thing is that you paid for it and you picked it out special for me, and right now, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world."

"So, I take it you like it, then." He grinned.

"Absolutely."

Happy tears spilled down my cheeks. I flung myself on him in a tight hug and kissed his cheek.

"I love you."

I almost didn't notice that everyone in the restaurant was staring at us. Almost. And for once, almost was good enough for me.


	7. Chapter 7

The wedding took place at the integrated church that I had started attending with Seaweed and his family. I had appointed Tracy my maid of honor and two of my good friends from the African- American community, Shayna and Joanne, as well as Li'l Inez, made up the small party of bridesmaids. They looked lovely in the knee-length lavender dresses Tracy had helped me pick out. Seaweed had selected Link as his best man and three fellow dancers from the show as the groomsmen. Everyone looked positively wonderful.

I saw Seaweed tear up as Mr. Turnblad walked me down the aisle and I had tunnel vision. He was all I could see. I felt like a princess in the huge, poufy ballgown Mrs. Turnblad had sewn for me so Seaweed and I could put the dress money toward our first house. The dress had little lace details sewn around the bottom, which completed it for me. I loved it. Tracy had swept my long auburn hair into an elegant bun and pinned it in place with a sparkly clip. My veil trailed behind me as I joined him at the altar, glowing. He grabbed my hands.

It went by too quickly. We exchanged rings and vows, both of us choking up. Finally, we said "I do."

"I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Seaweed winked at me. "Don't mind if I do." His comment sent a wave of giggles through the church as he swept me off of my feet and kissed me, as his wife, for the first time. I will never forget that first kiss as a married couple. It just felt so right.

Mrs. Turnblad sobbed loudly in the front row, dabbing at her face with a handkerchief, while Mr. Turnblad tried to comfort her.

Tracy and Link cheered loudly and Link whistled, but he was promptly shushed by Tracy.

We strode down the aisle, beaming excitedly. Seaweed squeezed my hand. As we made our way to the car, we were mobbed by reporters who shoved microphones in our faces. I only caught snippets of their conversations.

"First interracial couple in Baltimore!"

"How does it feel?"

"Checkerboard chick."

"Just keep walking," Seaweed muttered. "They've got no right to harass us for being different." He pushed me gently toward the car and held the door open as I got in, then slid in himself.

"You look beautiful today, Mrs. Stubbs," he commented.

I smiled at the new nickname and blushed. "Why thank you, Mr. Stubbs. You look dashing as ever," I sighed happily. "I love you."

"I love you more."


End file.
